Mirage - Revision history

Lch at 09:21, 26 November 2025

2025-11-26T09:21:03Z

@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 * There is already a LODGroup with an impostor : The impostor will be replaced using the same relative height transition. Note that impostors are detected thanks to the ImpostorReference script attached to the LODGroup. If you want to have several impostors in the same LODGroup, just delete safely the ImpostorReference component before baking. Also, the previous impostor's prefab will not be deleted, only the instance in the scene will be replaced.
 * There isn't any common ancestor for the input objects. Baking won't be possible.
 == Save Path ==

Lch: /* Post-baking adjustments */

2024-08-30T16:22:35Z

Post-baking adjustments

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:22, 30 August 2024
Line 136:		Line 136:
	=== Advanced Options ===		=== Advanced Options ===
	You can control the Render Queue, Double sided Global Illumation and GPU instancing, like the default surface shader.		You can control the Render Queue, Double sided Global Illumation and GPU instancing, like the default surface shader.

			== Post-Baking Memory Optimization ==
			Since version 1.2.0, Mirage embeds an Impostor Optimizer (<code>Window->Mirage->Impostor Optimizer</code>) to change the textures atlases formats and downsample Albedo, Normal and Mask atlases independantly. This is especially useful to build on iOS as DXT compression is not supported on this platform, or to reduce the final build size.
			[[File:Image 2024-08-30 171822247.png\|center\|thumb]]
			Please be aware that these optimizations change the prefabs directly thus are NOT REVERSIBLE, it is advised to fine-tune on impostors copies first.

			You can have as many impostors as you want in the drop zone, the same settings will be applied to all of them sequentially.

	== Compatible objects ==		== Compatible objects ==

Lch: /* Contact */

2024-02-14T22:43:46Z

Contact

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:43, 15 February 2024
Line 143:		Line 143:

	== Limitations ==		== Limitations ==
	Due to their nature, Mirage impostors have their few limitations.		Due to their nature, Mirage's impostors have their few limitations.

	* Full rotation compatibility : as said just above, the impostors won't be rotated around X and Z axes even if their parent does.		* Full rotation compatibility : as said just above, the impostors won't be rotated around X and Z axes even if their parent does.
	* Lossy scale : Mirage uses the transforms [https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/Transform-lossyScale.html lossyScale] of the source objects. If the source objects are skewed by nested non uniform scaling a rotation, the impostor may be a appear close from but source but unskewed.		* Lossy scale : Mirage uses the transforms [https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/Transform-lossyScale.html lossyScale] of the source objects. If the source objects are skewed by nested non uniform scaling a rotation, the impostor may be a appear close from but source but unskewed.
	* Shadows : Mirage impostors are compatible with shadows but they are not physically correct since it only projects the alpha clipped quad instead of having a dedicated shadow pass. It means shadow will be correct if the light comes from the front or the back but not the sides of the impostor. This is a simplicity choice, since correct shadow would add a GPU-intensive shader pass and shadows are usually not even visible from the impostor nominal distance. Moreover, it keeps Mirage natively pipeline independant since shader graph is not designed to add custom passes.		* Shadows : Mirage impostors are compatible with shadows but they are not physically correct since it only projects the alpha clipped quad instead of having a dedicated shadow pass. It means shadow will be correct if the light comes from the front or the back but not the sides of the impostor. This is a simplicity choice, since correct shadow would add a GPU-intensive shader pass and shadows are usually not even visible from the impostor nominal distance. Moreover, it keeps Mirage natively pipeline independant since shader graph is not yet designed to add custom passes.

	== Contact ==		== Contact ==

Lch: /* Contours */

2024-02-14T22:34:57Z

Contours

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:34, 15 February 2024
Line 128:		Line 128:

	* The Dithering Fade toggle turns On/Off Dithering fading on the edges of the impostor. Independant from the LODGroup crossfade effect.		* The Dithering Fade toggle turns On/Off Dithering fading on the edges of the impostor. Independant from the LODGroup crossfade effect.
	[[File:2024-02-14-23-15-13.gif\|center\|From left to right: The original model, interpolation disabled, interpolation enabled.]]		[[File:2024-02-14-23-15-13.gif\|center\|From left to right: The original model, interpolation disabled, interpolation enabled.\|frame]]

	=== Geometry ===		=== Geometry ===

Lch: /* Presets */

2024-02-14T22:34:07Z

Presets

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:34, 15 February 2024
Line 51:		Line 51:

	# '''Surface Estimation:''' Computes dedicated normal and metallic map atlases to get physically correct light reflections on the impostor. The recommended method. The baked impostor will use a lit surface shader.		# '''Surface Estimation:''' Computes dedicated normal and metallic map atlases to get physically correct light reflections on the impostor. The recommended method. The baked impostor will use a lit surface shader.
	# '''Use Scene Sun Source:''' Adds the sun source of the opened scene in the baking context. Can provide better results on single lit scenes, especially with intricate smoothness/occlusion materials. The baked impostor will use an unlit shader.		# '''Use Scene Sun Source:''' Adds the sun source of the opened scene in the baking context. Can provide better results on single lit scenes, especially with intricate smoothness/occlusion materials. Uses significantly less memory per impostor. The baked impostor will use an unlit shader.

	==== Presets ====		==== Presets ====
	You can add/load presets easily with the dedicated buttons. Gives an additional degree of freedom to match your workflow. A few relevant presets are already included such as 1-POV-billboard or different hemispheres.		You can add/load presets easily with the dedicated buttons. Gives an additional degree of freedom to match your workflow. A few relevant presets are already included such as 1-POV-billboard or different hemispheres. Importing a preset and modifying values won't modify the preset unless you explicitly export and replace it.

	=== Information ===		=== Information ===

Lch: /* What is an impostor */

2024-02-14T22:30:31Z

What is an impostor

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:30, 15 February 2024
Line 5:		Line 5:
	An impostor or imposter is a dynamically rendered billboard texture map used to give an illusion of 3D geometry in the distance.		An impostor or imposter is a dynamically rendered billboard texture map used to give an illusion of 3D geometry in the distance.

	In Mirage context, you can have as many objects as you want in a single impostor, and all the the points of view are stored into an abedo ~~map and optional~~ normal ~~map~~ and metallic ~~map atlases per impostor~~. Smoothness or occlusion are not baked into textures but are still customizable on post baking options.		In the Mirage context, you can have as many objects as you want in a single impostor, and all the the points of view are stored into an abedo, normal and metallic maps. Smoothness or occlusion are not baked into textures yet but are still customizable on post baking options.
	== How to bake your first impostor ==		== How to bake your first impostor ==
	<code>Mirage</code> consists in a single editor window. You can open it via <code>Window->Mirage->Impostors</code>. For a simple one-click impostor approach, drag and drop the common ancestor of all the objects you want to bake into target area and click on the <code>Generate Impostor</code> button.		<code>Mirage</code> consists in a single editor window. You can open it via <code>Window->Mirage->Impostors</code>. For a simple one-click impostor approach, drag and drop the common ancestor of all the objects you want to bake into target area and click on the <code>Generate Impostor</code> button.

Lch: /* Contours */

2024-02-14T22:26:31Z

Contours

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:26, 15 February 2024
Line 128:		Line 128:

	* The Dithering Fade toggle turns On/Off Dithering fading on the edges of the impostor. Independant from the LODGroup crossfade effect.		* The Dithering Fade toggle turns On/Off Dithering fading on the edges of the impostor. Independant from the LODGroup crossfade effect.
	[[File:2024-02-14-23-15-13.gif\|center~~\|thumb\|429x429px~~\|From left to right: The original model, interpolation disabled, interpolation enabled.]]		[[File:2024-02-14-23-15-13.gif\|center\|From left to right: The original model, interpolation disabled, interpolation enabled.]]

	=== Geometry ===		=== Geometry ===

Lch: /* Contours */

2024-02-14T22:17:38Z

Contours

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:17, 15 February 2024
Line 128:		Line 128:

	* The Dithering Fade toggle turns On/Off Dithering fading on the edges of the impostor. Independant from the LODGroup crossfade effect.		* The Dithering Fade toggle turns On/Off Dithering fading on the edges of the impostor. Independant from the LODGroup crossfade effect.
			[[File:2024-02-14-23-15-13.gif\|center\|thumb\|429x429px\|From left to right: The original model, interpolation disabled, interpolation enabled.]]
	[[File:~~Impostor2~~.gif\|thumb\|429x429px\|From left to right: The original model, interpolation ~~enabled~~, interpolation ~~disabled~~.~~\|center~~]]

	=== Geometry ===		=== Geometry ===

Lch: /* Setup */

2024-02-13T10:33:14Z

Setup

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:33, 13 February 2024
Line 3:		Line 3:

	== What is an impostor ==		== What is an impostor ==
	An impostor or imposter is a dynamically rendered billboard texture map used to ~~stand in for~~ geometry in the distance.		An impostor or imposter is a dynamically rendered billboard texture map used to give an illusion of 3D geometry in the distance.

	In Mirage context, you can have as many objects as you want in a single impostor, and all the the points of view are stored into an abedo map and an optional normal map ~~atlas~~ map per impostor. Smoothness~~, metallic~~ or occlusion are not baked into textures but are still customizable on post baking options.		In Mirage context, you can have as many objects as you want in a single impostor, and all the the points of view are stored into an abedo map and optional normal map and metallic map atlases per impostor. Smoothness or occlusion are not baked into textures but are still customizable on post baking options.
	== How to bake your first impostor ==		== How to bake your first impostor ==
	<code>Mirage</code> consists in a single editor window. You can open it via <code>Window->Mirage->Impostors</code>. For a simple one-click impostor approach, drag and drop the common ancestor of all the objects you want to bake into target area and click on the Generate Impostor button.		<code>Mirage</code> consists in a single editor window. You can open it via <code>Window->Mirage->Impostors</code>. For a simple one-click impostor approach, drag and drop the common ancestor of all the objects you want to bake into target area and click on the <code>Generate Impostor</code> button.

	You can also customize a lot of settings for a more advanced usage. There are 5 category foldouts ~~that~~ that can ~~expand~~ or ~~hide~~ by clicking on their title. Even when hidden, they still provide basic information or controls on the right of the title.		You can also customize a lot of settings for a more advanced usage. There are 5 category foldouts that can expanded or hidden by clicking on their title. Even when hidden, they still provide basic information or controls on the right of the title.

	The following sections will provide detailed explaination of each ~~of the categories~~.[[File:Image 2024-02-06 164734156.png\|center\|thumb]]		The following sections will provide detailed explaination of each category.[[File:Image 2024-02-06 164734156.png\|center\|thumb]]

	=== Setup the target(s) ===		=== Setup the target(s) ===
	This category holds all the source object(s) information. Note that only one impostor can be baked at a time, so all the target will all be part of the same impostor.		This category holds all the source object(s) information. Note that only one impostor can be baked at a time, so all the target will all be part of the same impostor.
	For a simple ~~one-click impostor~~ approach, drag and drop the common ancestor in the dedicated field. Note that if you want to bake only one object the common ancestor can be the object itself or its parent. When the common ancestor is set, Mirage will automatically detect all the mesh filters in its children, recursively. You can check which mesh filters are included by expanding the section as following. Null or invalid objects will be ignored.		For a simple approach, drag and drop the common ancestor in the dedicated field. Note that if you want to bake only one object the common ancestor can be the object itself or its parent. When the common ancestor is set, Mirage will automatically detect all the mesh filters in its children, recursively. You can check which mesh filters are included by expanding the section as following. Null or invalid objects will be ignored.
	[[File:Image 2024-02-06 170842562.png\|center\|thumb\|357x357px]]		[[File:Image 2024-02-06 170842562.png\|center\|thumb\|357x357px]]
	You can also exclude some meshes or add some manually by dropping them into the area. If you change the mesh filters manually, the common ancestor will be updated accordingly. Note that '''a common ancestor is needed to bake an impostor'''.		You can also exclude some meshes or add some manually by dropping them into the area. If you change the mesh filters manually, the common ancestor will be updated accordingly. Note that '''a common ancestor is needed to bake an impostor'''.

	=== Quality Settings ===		=== Quality Settings ===
	This category is crucial and will have a direct impact on the visual quality of the impostor~~. Provides~~ full control over the baking topology. This section should be paired with the Information category that provides real-time visualization for an excellent and fast control over the baking topology.		This category is crucial and will have a direct impact on the visual quality of the impostor as it provides full control over the baking topology. This section should be paired with the <code>Information</code> category that provides real-time visualization for an excellent and fast control over the baking topology.
	[[File:Image 2024-02-06 172158522.png\|center\|thumb\|483x483px]]		[[File:Image 2024-02-06 172158522.png\|center\|thumb\|483x483px]]

	==== Texture Size ====		==== Texture Size ====
	As previously mentionned, Color ~~Maps~~ and ~~Normal~~ Maps are stored into square POT atlases. This field controls the resolution of these atlases, from 128x128 to 4096x4096. The Estimated ~~Size~~ label provides the size of the whole impostor prefab after baking (with DXT compression)		As previously mentionned, Color, Normal and Metallic Maps are stored into square POT atlases. This field controls the resolution of these atlases, from 128x128 to 4096x4096. The <code>Estimated total size</code> label provides the size of the whole impostor prefab after baking (with DXT compression)

	==== Sphere Type ====		==== Sphere Type ====
Line 32:		Line 32:

	==== Longitude Samples ====		==== Longitude Samples ====
	UV Sphere only. Holds the number of longitudinal samples. The higher the better for smooth horizontal rotation, at a cost of higher POV number thus resolution/POV in the atlas. All samples are equally spread around the 360 degrees.		UV Sphere only. Holds the number of longitudinal samples. The higher the better for smooth horizontal rotation, at a cost of higher POV number thus lower resolution/POV in the atlas. All samples are equally spread around the 360 degrees.

	==== Latitude Samples ====		==== Latitude Samples ====
	UV Sphere only. Holds half of the number of latitudinal samples (equator excluded). This means that a 0 value will just bake around the equator. 1 will bake an additionnal sample on each side of the equator, and so on.		UV Sphere only. Holds half of the number of latitudinal samples (equator excluded). This means that a 0 value will just bake around the equator. 1 will bake an additionnal sample on each side of the equator, and so on.

	The higher the better for smooth vertical rotation, at a cost of higher POV number thus resolution/POV in the atlas.		The higher the better for smooth vertical rotation, at a cost of higher POV number thus lower resolution/POV in the atlas.

	==== ~~Laatitude~~ Offset ====		==== Latitude Offset ====
	UV Sphere only. Shifts the equator sample. Useful for partial spheres.		UV Sphere only. Shifts the equator sample. Useful for partial spheres.

Line 46:		Line 46:

	==== Density ====		==== Density ====
	Pseudo-Fibonacci sphere only. Controls the density of the sphere. The higher the better for smooth rotations in any direction, at a cost of higher POV number thus resolution/POV in the atlas.		Pseudo-Fibonacci sphere only. Controls the density of the sphere. The higher the better for smooth rotations in any direction, at a cost of higher POV number thus lower resolution/POV in the atlas.

	==== Lighting Method ====		==== Lighting Method ====

	# '''~~Normal~~ Estimation'''Computes a dedicated normal map ~~atlas~~ to get physically correct light reflections on the impostor. The recommended method. The baked impostor will use a lit surface shader.		# '''Surface Estimation:''' Computes dedicated normal and metallic map atlases to get physically correct light reflections on the impostor. The recommended method. The baked impostor will use a lit surface shader.
	# '''Use Scene Sun Source'''Adds the sun source of the opened scene in the baking context. Can provide better results on single lit scenes, especially with intricate ~~metallic/~~smoothness/~~self shading objects~~. The baked impostor will use an unlit shader.		# '''Use Scene Sun Source:''' Adds the sun source of the opened scene in the baking context. Can provide better results on single lit scenes, especially with intricate smoothness/occlusion materials. The baked impostor will use an unlit shader.

	==== Presets ====		==== Presets ====
Line 57:		Line 57:

	=== Information ===		=== Information ===
	The whole information foldout is readonly. ~~and~~ provides useful visual feedback to help tweaking the previous category ~~fileds~~.		The whole information foldout is readonly. It provides useful visual feedback to help tweaking the previous category fields.

	[[File:Image 2024-02-06 180549368.png\|center\|thumb\|426x426px]]		[[File:Image 2024-02-06 180549368.png\|center\|thumb\|426x426px]]
Line 75:		Line 75:
	* POVs : Visualize the Longitude / Latitude coverage. A great helper when tweaking the Quality Settings. You can orbit around with the mouse to see clearer.		* POVs : Visualize the Longitude / Latitude coverage. A great helper when tweaking the Quality Settings. You can orbit around with the mouse to see clearer.
	* Layout : Visualize the Atlas layout. Filled atlas slots will be green, blank will be red.		* Layout : Visualize the Atlas layout. Filled atlas slots will be green, blank will be red.
	* Preview : Visualize how pixelated your each single POV will be. Displays the actual objects entered in the Target foldout. You can orbit around with the mouse as well. Please note the snappiness/bluriness won't be previewed here. The area only shows your inputs layout in the impostor and the pixelization but does not stand for a contractual appearance of the ouput impostor.		* Preview : Visualize how pixelated your each single POV will be. Displays the actual objects entered in the Target foldout. You can orbit around with the mouse as well. <!-- Please note the snappiness/bluriness won't be previewed here. The area only shows your inputs layout in the impostor and the pixelization but does not stand for a contractual appearance of the ouput impostor. -->

	=== LODGroup Settings ===		=== LODGroup Settings ===
Line 117:		Line 117:
	* The Brightness slider can increase/decrease the albedo power.		* The Brightness slider can increase/decrease the albedo power.
	* The Saturation slider can increase/decrease the color saturation.		* The Saturation slider can increase/decrease the color saturation.
	* The Smoothness~~/Metallic/~~Occlusion sliders work the same way than the default diffuse material.		* The Smoothness and Occlusion sliders work the same way than the default diffuse material.
	* The Curvature Occlusion slider applies an additionnal occlusion in rifts, and sharp angles, to estimate self-shades.		* The Metallic slider is multiplied with the computed metallic map.
			* The Curvature Occlusion slider applies an additionnal occlusion in rifts, and sharp angles, to estimate self-shades. Can create a gray outline on some objects.

	=== Contours ===		=== Contours ===
Line 131:		Line 132:

	=== Geometry ===		=== Geometry ===
	These settings are theoritically not needed but ~~are a way of giving~~ additionnal freedom to advanced users.		These settings are theoritically not needed but give additionnal freedom to advanced users.
	* The Yaw/Elevation offset sliders make the object virtually rotate on the Horizontal/Vertical axis respectively.		* The Yaw/Elevation offset sliders make the object virtually rotate on the Horizontal/Vertical axis respectively.

Line 147:		Line 148:
	* Full rotation compatibility : as said just above, the impostors won't be rotated around X and Z axes even if their parent does.		* Full rotation compatibility : as said just above, the impostors won't be rotated around X and Z axes even if their parent does.
	* Lossy scale : Mirage uses the transforms [https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/Transform-lossyScale.html lossyScale] of the source objects. If the source objects are skewed by nested non uniform scaling a rotation, the impostor may be a appear close from but source but unskewed.		* Lossy scale : Mirage uses the transforms [https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/Transform-lossyScale.html lossyScale] of the source objects. If the source objects are skewed by nested non uniform scaling a rotation, the impostor may be a appear close from but source but unskewed.
	* Shadows : Mirage impostors are compatible with shadows but they are not physically correct since it only projects the alpha clipped quad instead of having a dedicated shadow pass. It means shadow will be correct if the light comes from the front or the back but not the sides of the impostor. This is a simplicity choice, since correct shadow would add a GPU-intensive shader pass and shadows are usually not even visible from the impostor nominal distance. Moreover, it keeps Mirage natively pipeline independant since shader graph is not designed to add ~~this kind of advanced features~~.		* Shadows : Mirage impostors are compatible with shadows but they are not physically correct since it only projects the alpha clipped quad instead of having a dedicated shadow pass. It means shadow will be correct if the light comes from the front or the back but not the sides of the impostor. This is a simplicity choice, since correct shadow would add a GPU-intensive shader pass and shadows are usually not even visible from the impostor nominal distance. Moreover, it keeps Mirage natively pipeline independant since shader graph is not designed to add custom passes.

	== Contact ==		== Contact ==

Lch: /* How to bake an impostor */

2024-02-12T22:32:34Z

How to bake an impostor

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:32, 13 February 2024
Line 6:		Line 6:

	In Mirage context, you can have as many objects as you want in a single impostor, and all the the points of view are stored into an abedo map and an optional normal map atlas map per impostor. Smoothness, metallic or occlusion are not baked into textures but are still customizable on post baking options.		In Mirage context, you can have as many objects as you want in a single impostor, and all the the points of view are stored into an abedo map and an optional normal map atlas map per impostor. Smoothness, metallic or occlusion are not baked into textures but are still customizable on post baking options.
	== How to bake an impostor ==		== How to bake your first impostor ==
	<code>Mirage</code> consists in a single editor window. You can open it via <code>Window->Mirage->Impostors</code>. For a simple one-click impostor approach, drag and drop the common ancestor of all the objects you want to bake into target area and click on the Generate Impostor button.		<code>Mirage</code> consists in a single editor window. You can open it via <code>Window->Mirage->Impostors</code>. For a simple one-click impostor approach, drag and drop the common ancestor of all the objects you want to bake into target area and click on the Generate Impostor button.